NTSB: Pilot in Texas balloon crash that killed 16 was told conditions were dangerous before flight

A passenger's photograph taken before the deadly Texas balloon crash shows the balloon was flying above a layer of clouds that partially obscured the ground.

A passenger's photograph taken before the deadly Texas balloon crash shows the balloon was flying above a layer of clouds that partially obscured the ground.

Photo: Courtesy National Transportation Safety Board

Photo: Courtesy National Transportation Safety Board

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A passenger's photograph taken before the deadly Texas balloon crash shows the balloon was flying above a layer of clouds that partially obscured the ground.

A passenger's photograph taken before the deadly Texas balloon crash shows the balloon was flying above a layer of clouds that partially obscured the ground.

Photo: Courtesy National Transportation Safety Board

NTSB: Pilot in Texas balloon crash that killed 16 was told conditions were dangerous before flight

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WASHINGTON, D.C. — Told that clouds may be a problem two hours before takeoff on July 30, hot-air balloon pilot Alfred "Skip" Nichols replied, "We find a hole and we go."

Nearly three hours later, Nichols' balloon struck high-voltage power lines near Lockhart, killing him and all 15 of his passengers.

Officials investigating the deadliest balloon crash in U.S. history focused on Nichols' decision to fly on a day when the cloud ceiling was 700 feet and the forecast cast doubt on any chances of the sky clearing.

At a public hearing Friday in Washington by the National Transportation Safety Board, experts testified that Nichols had taken medications for various conditions that included depression and chronic pain that should have disqualified him from flying an aircraft.

And not one balloon expert said they would have flown under the weather conditions that day, calling it dangerous.

"No sir, it is not safe or prudent, " said FAA inspector James Malecha.

"Definitely not a safe practice," said Andy Baird, general manager of Cameron Balloons and an expert who testified at the board of inquiry.

Among the exhibits released Friday was a passenger's photograph taken before the accident that shows the balloon was flying above a layer of clouds that partially obscured the ground.

A transmission tower was viewable through a hole in the clouds, although the NTSB's chief investigator for the accident, Bill English, said they don't believe that was the spot of the crash.

English said that the propane burner was working and no malfunctions were found during the investigation.

The NTSB won't disclose the cause of the crash at today's hearing. But for the public and grieving family members of the victims, it is the first chance in months to glean new information about a catastrophe that still has no clear cause beyond the known facts: A large Kubicek balloon piloted by Nichols struck the power lines over a rural field near Lockhart and caught fire, killing everyone on board.

"It's been the most devastating time in our lives," said Patricia Morgan, the mother and grandmother of two victims from San Antonio, Lorilee and Paige Brabson.

Morgan hopes the tragedy sparks reform in an industry where it's difficult for customers to check the safety record of the pilots they're flying with, even though some commercial balloons can carry enough people to fill a small commuter plane.

Nichols had been convicted in Missouri on four charges of driving while intoxicated, had his license suspended, and wasn't allowed to drive a vehicle in Texas.

Yet he had a pilot's license from the Federal Aviation Administration that allowed him to fly commercial hot-air balloons. The NTSB plans to examine pilot certification requirements at today's hearing, which is broadcast live on the NTSB's website.

NTSB officials are taking testimony from witnesses who include representatives of the Federal Aviation Administration, the Balloon Federation of America, and Kubicek Balloons, the manufacturer of the balloon that crashed.